To complete the celebration of our fiftieth wedding anniversary (married June 6, 1964) the Curmudgeonette took me on a Baltic Cruise. We left America on June 20, and returned July 1. Leaving from Stockholm and returning to Copenhagen we visited Estonia, Russia, Finland, Latvia, Germany and Lithuania.
President Obama's trip to to Estonia to reassure NATO allies reminded me of an experience I had in Latvia. At each stop we took the organized tours that were offered. The tours were guided by competent locals. It was rewarding to engage the guides in conversation when they were not otherwise engaged. In Latvia I asked our tour guide her opinion of the unrest in Ukraine. She replied that Latvians felt bad about the violence and loss of life. I asked "Do you worry about Russia?" "No," she said, "because of NATO."
It's ironic who Putin's adventures in Ukraine have backfired on him revitalizing and re-energizing NATO.
No comments:
Post a Comment